Drinks w/ A Touch Of Whimsy

cocktail drink

Whimsical drinks such as cocktails has a bewitching appeal to me. I do chug an occasional bottle of beer but nothing lures me better to alcohol consumption than a cocktail drink with an exotic name and handcrafted with care.

Niner Ichi Nana

bar area at Niner Ichi Nana

woodpick

If there's one bar I would frequent whenever I'm at BGC, that would be Niner Ichi Nana. It has the pleasant vibe amidst the expected toned down lighting and snazzy interiors. The bartenders here are extremely friendly, way apart from the snotty ones you would encounter on some other chi-chi bars in the metro. So I could always storm in without any feeling of hesitation and intimidation, plop at my usual seat in the bar area and ask for a drink that is highly recommended by one of the good-humored bartenders. Majority of the people who came here request for beer from the tap where Stella Artois is the most popular. I usually prefer the handcrafted cocktail drinks. How fun it is to watch the bartender prepare your drink of choice with such care and ease. The resulting concoction aesthetically pleasing that you just have to stare at it for a moment before relishing the pleasure and high that alcohol always brings.

an off-the-menu cocktail concocted for me by the barista

I usually liked my cocktails sweet, it's the only way for me to drink something with spirits in it. One time, while undecided which cocktail drink to order, the bartender broach to me a cocktail concoction he knows that is off the menu. I took the challenge, it came in this small glass (almost like a shot glass which is pictured above) with a peel of lemon lynching out from the liquor the color of deep amber. I took a whiff and already I feel intoxicated. And one sip and the strong mixture of liquors almost overpowered me. Guess I'm not yet that "mature" when comes to strong drinks. 

G/F Globe Tower
32nd St cor 7th Avenue
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

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Relik Tapas Bar & Lounge

red sagria

After taking a heavy Asian meal at a restaurant in BGC one evening, I felt that the night was still young and I didn't feel like going home yet. As I passed by the Commercenter Building, I noticed the striking signage of Relik Tapas Bar & Lounge just right above where Kuppa Roastery & Cafe is. I like the stealthy, if one may call it, way to get to the restaurant by taking a flight of stairs or taking an elevator lift that will take you to second floor parking lot area. I was initially intimidated by the bouncer situated at the entrance, a towering guy with a hulk-like figure. The bar itself is dark with The Eraserheads and other 90s and early 2000s alternative music blasting through speakers and the raucous laughter of a group of guys situated in one table who seemed to be competing with the loudness of the music. But I liked it. I liked the underground feel of the place. 

As much as I wanted to order something from the menu, they do have quite a selection of tapas or small plates that are quite tempting, the fullness of my stomach forbid me so. I just had a Red Sangria that night. I do have a predilection to ladies' drinks as you may happen to notice. I bid my time sipping my drink as I observed the people around me while trying to be incognito in one corner. I even pondered how the two couples seated on the leather couch in one corner managed to be all-romantic and clingy with all the noise surrounding them as if they're the only people in the room. Must be love, I guess. 

2/F Commercenter Building
31st Street cor 4th Avenue
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

846-8889

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12/10

I should have taken it as a hint when Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet branded 12/10 as an 'izakaya joint'. Meaning to say 12/10 is more like a bar or drinking establishment where food merely serve as an accompaniment to your drink rather than the reverse. Me and my friends went here with grumbling stomachs to boot thinking we'll stuff ourselves with tons of maki, tempura and katsudon.

aviation

12/10 offers small plates where one of the owners explained that we can add more if we feel like it creating a mini-degustation of sorts. Interesting. But right now our minds are dancing on the thought of heaps and heaps of fragrant Japanese fried rice topped with beef yakiniku. But the food here are hands down great. The orders we had that night of Blowtorched Salmon w/ Uni & Caviar, the Salmon Kushiyaki and the Korean Fried Chicken, however small the servings, are truly exceptional. 

I tried a cocktail drink called Aviation. I already forgotten the specific liquors that went into this wonderful drink but I like its sweetness and the slight fizz but after a while a jolting wallop of alcohol sets in. Strong enough for me to almost abandon my reserve and eventually I was giggling at the slightest instance and yawning and almost drowsing myself to sleep. The usual effects on me when the alcohol I'm taking has a very strong spirit content.

12/10

7635 Guijo St.
San Antonio Village, Makati City
twelveten.ph